How to get Mobile Internet in Egypt: Which option to choose?

If you are traveling to Egypt, you certainly don’t want to lose your connection to the internet while exploring the country. But how can you avoid paying expensive fees for the internet and still stay connected in Egypt? The answer is simple. If you want to avoid the expensive fees charged by some services or products such as roaming in Egypt the best thing to do is to look for other services or products to use your cell phone in Egypt. 

What are these alternatives to roaming? There are quite a few alternatives to stay connected, and in this article, we will show you each and every one of them. Starting with SIM cards and eSIM cards, which are positioned as the best option due to their excellent quality/price ratio. And ending with other not so recommendable options, such as Pockets Wi-Fi.  

Mobile internet in Egypt

As we said, SIM cards and eSIM cards are the best options to connect to the internet in Egypt. But why? We have different reasons why we consider them the best, and we will discuss them throughout this article. However, the main one is the advantages they offer and the cheap price they have for your trip, compared to other options.

Among the other options, we have the international roaming service. Which, as you will see below, is one of the most expensive and least recommended, as it offers nothing more than the internet. Pocket Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is also quite expensive. They offer the possibility of sharing data with several friends at the same time, which can be considered an advantage if you are traveling with a large group of people.

Internet rates in Egypt

Service	Internet tariff in Egypt
SIM card for Egypt	from 10$ to 60$
eSIM Egypt	Unlimited data for 15 days at 47 USD
AT&T USA carrier roaming	$2.05/MB
Vodafone Roaming in Egypt	$7.2/Day
Telstra Roaming in Egypt	$3.00/MB
Pocket WiFi	$84 to $349.9 USD+ shipping for 7 days
Public WiFi	Free

SIM card for internet in Egypt

For many years they have been the most traditional option and today we have international online solutions as well as local operators in the destinations. Buying a SIM card for Egypt as a tourist is not difficult, we can do it even from home and wait for the shipment of the chip before arriving in the country.

On the other hand, we can also buy a SIM card with a local operator in Egypt, although this option has more obstacles for tourists. In either case, we can find SIM cards with a price between 10$ and 60$, depending on the amount of data plan and its benefits. Unlimited data options such as Holafly’s eSIM for Egypt are hard to find.

eSIM card for the internet in Egypt

Another of the main ways to connect to the internet without paying high roaming fees or expensive Pocket Wi-Fi rentals is the eSIM for Egypt. What does this eSIM offer? The main advantage over other options such as the classic SIM card is the speed with which we can acquire it. Since it is a completely virtual product, the delivery is done in a matter of seconds, which, if you need to have internet as soon as possible, will be great for you.

In addition to the advantage of being able to buy it in a matter of seconds we also have a very good quality/price ratio. And if that isn’t enough, you can purchase unlimited data plans for your travel. You can also recharge your eSIM through top-ups to get more days of use.

To purchase this product, all you have to do is go to the official Holafly eSIM website. Once there, choose the amount of data and days, fill in the purchase form, and your eSIM will arrive in your email in a matter of seconds. To activate the eSIM, all you have to do is scan the QR code, with your cellphone’s camera, that you receive in your email when you make the purchase and that’s it, you will be able to surf the internet in Egypt.

Data rates for Egypt

• Unlimited data for 5 days at USD 27
• Unlimited data for 7 days at USD 34
• Unlimited data for 10 days at USD 37
• Unlimited data for 15 days at USD 47
• Unlimited data for 20 days at USD 54

How can I connect to the cellular internet in Egypt through my operator?

One of the most expensive ways to get internet is through the roaming service offered by most phone companies. This service, although very easy to use and convenient, is very expensive, so it is not recommended to use it during your trip.

Cellular internet in Egypt with AT&T USA 

With AT&T USA, you will find a roaming rate of $2.05/MB for Egypt, although they also have available the AT&T International Day Pass plan, which allows you to have unlimited high-speed data, make calls, and send and receive text messages at $10 per day

Mobile internet in Egypt with Vodafone

In case you are a Vodafone user, and you are interested in purchasing internet during your trip to Egypt through its Roaming service. You must consider that the price you will have to pay to have internet is $7.2/Day.

Cellular internet in Egypt with Telstra

The company also allows you to use its data services with a pay-as-you-go plan, the price of which varies depending on the destination, but it is usually around USD 3 per MB. Although the company offers some packages of different MB, the most common one is USD 10 per day for 500 MB. 

Pocket Wi-Fi for internet in Egypt

Pocket Wi-Fi are small routers that you can carry in your pocket to connect to the internet. Among the advantages of this product is the ability to provide internet to several cellphones at the same time, which is a good advantage if you are in the company of a large group of people. However, the disadvantages of this product are many, starting with the costly fee charged by the companies for acquiring this product.

Why is it so expensive? The reason why the prices of these Pocket Wi-Fi are usually very high is that, in addition to charging for the data plan that you will use on the Pocket Wi-Fi they also charge you for the rental of the product and shipping. If you want to know more about this, we will show you two Pocket Wi-Fi companies that offer their services in Egypt. So that you have all the information you need to know in case you would like to buy one.

Cello Mobile

This is one of the largest companies in terms of telecommunications in the United States. Cello Mobile offers its service worldwide with a price of 349.99 dollars per week + shipping from 10 to 75 dollars. This service is unlimited for one week. People can also pay for insurance which costs 14.99 dollars, so you could avoid paying a penalty in case of losing the equipment.

Wifi Travelers

In case you want to purchase your Pocket Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Travelers, you will have to pay between $84.85 to $122.78 USD plus a shipping fee of $21 dollars to be able to connect for 7 days. The price for the rent will depend on the plan you choose for the Pocket Wi-Fi. 

As you can see, these rates do not include an anti-theft feature, so you’ll have to be careful not to pay a much more expensive additional fee.

Public Wi-Fi sites offering internet in Egypt

Free Wi-Fi can get you out of a jam if you need to answer a message or check something on the internet. However, you should be careful about how long you stay connected to these networks. Because the networks used by most public Wi-Fi networks have very little security. Therefore, they are very easy to hack. This means that your data entered during the time you were connected to the Wi-Fi network can be stolen.

Our recommendation

After looking at all the options, the tariffs that these options have, and what they offer, we can conclude that prepaid SIM cards and eSIM cards are the best way to connect to the internet. Because they are a bit cheaper than other options, plus it is the only option that gives us unlimited internet for the duration of our trip. So, if you want to have internet for a month, the best option would not be the SIM card but the eSIM with prepaid data.

Frequently asked questions about the internet in Egypt